mixing refuse of the heart with words of truth for sprinkling on seeds of hope

Tag Archives: Buddy

We said goodbye to Roo’s beloved guinea pig this past Wednesday night. It was the eve of two years to the day that he came home with us from the pet store. It was completely unexpected.

Wednesday morning, eager with anticipation of meeting a friend in Martinsburg, WVa, for lunch, I had no idea that the evening’s at-home date would be interrupted by a knock on the TV room door by a traumatized child.

In fact, I still had not broken it to my parents that when they took care of him for us while we were on vacation, he would need at least one cage change. I was still figuring all of the details out, not knowing that by the end of the day there would be no need.

Buddy was in his cage and kicking his legs. I thought he was having a bad dream, so I picked him up, but he went limp. Something is really wrong with him.

We rushed upstairs with her. Indeed, something was very wrong, as confirmed by her father, the brave one of us when it comes to all things animal-related. I brought a dish towel to wrap him in, while Steve held and confirmed that, indeed, Buddy was dead.

I began to cry, then sob, in the hall with my daughter. The bedroom door of the youngest opened upon hearing the commotion. She came out, heard the news, and began to cry. She also wanted to hold Buddy.

She is a braver soul than I.

I knocked on brother’s door to alert him, as well, knowing that he would want to be aware. He came out and joined the sadness. So did sister at the end of the hall.

We made our way downstairs to the living room and sat together. Tears were flowing and words spoken of Buddy’s days with us.

Most recently, because of summer break, he had spent more time downstairs on the laps of those who were doing their screen time. The kids called him a Buddy Loaf and dubbed him their therapy guinea pig.

He was well-loved.

Even Dewey, who tried to get a little too close and curious to Buddy at every opportunity, was noticeably out of sorts.

He mirrored everyone’s sadness.

Buddy’s death was sudden, unexpected, and happened as his ten-year-old owner was holding him. It was a trifecta of trauma for her. We are processing this grief together. It is hard and sad.

In the midst of the hard, there is good.

I am grateful that just last Sunday our pastor brought a perspective of pets and heaven to us in a hopeful tone. This gave Roo much comfort the following evening as she went to bed in the same way and space that 24 hours earlier had found her watching the life slip from her pet.

I am grateful that he did not die while we were on vacation.

I am grateful that it was summer break and that he was getting a lot of attention.

Mostly I am grateful for kids who love big and deeply and well.

Goodby, Buddy. You were loved so much that it hurts that you are gone. Thank you for the joy you brought to us and the contribution that you made to our compost pile each week. You will be missed.

I forgot to feed my guinea pig Buddy because I wanted to look at the clock to see if it was eight o’ clock. The reason I wanted to was because I wanted to pick episodes on netflix with my brother and sisters. The reason we had to wait till eight was because our mom and dad said we HAD to wait till eight.

So after we watched episodes on netflix, I told my mom that I would be washing Buddy. She went and cleaned the cage for me. ( I have a really nice mom. )

When I finished washing Buddy I took him down stairs. My mom was finishing putting the bedding in Buddy’s cage. I told her I was taking Buddy outside, so when I did my little sister put the cage down and I put Buddy in the cage. ( The cage wasn’t all the cage it didn’t have the floor part so it was just the top. )

Well, a little while later I wanted to flip the cage top so the top of it was on the ground. (Note: do NOT do this it is a very stupid idea. )

So when I did my little sister asked if I wanted a Danimal, and I said yes. She asked me if I wanted a straw. I said no but then yes. So when she went in I turned around and started snapping my fingers. When I turned around BUDDY WAS GONE.

I started freaking out and crying. My guinea pig was GONE! When my little sister came outside she started looking too. Then she told me to come and I came. When I came she told me to listen. I could hear a cat and a guinea pig noise. I started to worry, ” What if Buddy is being killed by a cat!? ”

My little sister asked if she could go get mom, and I said ” YES PLEASE DO! ”

When my mom came outside she started looking. A few minutes later my mom thought about how Buddy liked to hide in his hutch, so I started looking behind and in stuff. Then my MOM found BUDDY in the fire wood.

(We found Buddy in that little empty space you see here.)

I was SO HAPPY I was glad God helped us and that I have ( and I really do. ) an AWESOME mom! ~ Roo

Editor’s note. This is all Roo’s original work. Paragraph editing only. Editor did NOT add any comments relating to Roo’s mom, who has at other times been rumored to be the WORST MOM EVER! The verdict is still out on that one.

I posted this caption on Instagram with a picture of me walking a puppy. Yes, we now have a puppy.

And a guinea pig.

And a cat whose world is still rocking.

How did this come about?

Those who know me may be surprised by this news. I am not a fan of animals and certainly not puppies. I have shared my firstborn’s story and her disappointment with not getting a puppy in childhood.

Our cat, Zephyr, eased her way into the family via a friend whose husband was found allergic after a sweet little kitty was brought home. On a completely random note, her visit to the vet alerted me to the fact that this year we are the same age. She is 44 in cat years. I feel however old people years are in cat years!

Back to the puppy.

Child 6 has longed for a puppy just like her big sister. As the littles have grown, the possibility of a dog has been considered. We even watched a friend’s dog for a few days earlier this summer to see what it might be like to have one of our own.

We weren’t considering a puppy.

However, one evening two weeks ago, some serious discussion began surrounding the addition of a dog to our family. Lists were made and cases were made and preferences disclosed.

A puppy entered the equation.

An after-dinner family visit to the SPCA introduced us to Dewey on a Wednesday. The following day found us taking Zephyr to the vet for some last minute catching-up on her vaccines. She was supposed to have gone weeks before but disappeared before her appointment, and we had to reschedule.

Thursday also brought the news that there was a family approved ahead of us in line for Dewey. They had been called to alert them to our pending status and to give them a chance to adopt him first.

This caused much angst in our home Thursday night. Prayers went up that if Dewey was the right dog for our family, we would get him. There were many tears.

Friday morning dawned with Wren arriving to be watched for the day. This plan had been on the calendar before the possibility of our own puppy was even a thought. My daughter gave me wise advice and alerted me as to how the dogs might interact if we did, indeed, get Dewey that day.

The little girls and I loaded up in the van at 9:30 to be sure to arrive at the SPCA before the doors opened at 10:00. We sat in the parking lot, waiting.

There was much trepidation when another car pulled in a few minutes later, only to find that it was Daddy in the little car. I was grateful for the moral support.

When the doors opened, we were the first ones in, turning in our completed paperwork. We were approved and Dewey was still there, waiting for us to bring him home.

Which we did.

Introducing Dewey, our terrier-mix puppy. He was 2 and a half months old when we got him from the SPCA and is an answer to all kinds of different prayers, ultimately working together for the good of our family.